Items 2, 3, and 4 can be attached in the Attachments tab of the UD Grants System (PeopleSoft 8.9) and will appear on the web form. (If any item is too large to be attached to the UD Grants system please use the UD Drop Box.)

The Facilities and Administrative Cost-Rates Agreement defines "equipment" as an article of non-expendable tangible personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. Please direct any questions relating to this policy to your Contract and Grant Administrator.

Rates / IDC Calculations

The University facilities and administrative cost-rates agreement with the U.S. Department of the Navy is to be used on grants, contracts and/or other agreements issued or awarded to the University of Delaware by all federal agencies. The predetermined rate agreement provides the negotiated facilities and administrative rates from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2015. This agreement also provides provisional rates effective 7/1/2015 that are in effect until a new predetermined rate agreement is executed.

* Overhead is calculated on the first $25,000.00 of each individual subcontract /subgrant.

** The dollar amount set for items to be added to an existing tag is $2,000 per item. Items cannot be combined to total $2,000 before it can be value adjusted to an existing tag. Also, the item cannot be a replacement part. The account for replacement parts is 150300.

NOTE: Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) as defined in University's current negotiated agreement for Indirect Cost and Fringe Benefit Rates with the U.S. Department of Navy, Office of Naval Research.

Fixed Fringe Benefit Rates for 7/1/14 through 6/30/15

Personnel Status

Rate

Faculty/Professional

33.8%

Staff

57.0%

Graduate Students

4.8%

Other (non-student miscellaneous wage and off-campus faculty)

7.9%

For agriculture 3-A accounts, use 28.1% for faculty and professional, 41.7% for salaried staff, 4.8% for graduate students and 7.9% for others.

For all activities performed in facilities not owned by the institution, the off campus rate will apply. (For all activities performed in facilities rented with institution funds, the on campus rate will apply). Grants or contracts will not be subject to more than one indirect cost rate. If more than 50% of a project is performed off campus, the off campus rate will apply to the entire project.

Salary Increments

For future years, add (see note) to the base salary for all employees, including graduate assistants on sponsored projects.
NOTE: These rates are negotiated annually.

In order to achieve consistency in graduate tuition rates across programs and colleges at the University of Delaware, UD is implementing market-based tuition rates for all graduate students. More information on the UD graduate tuition policy and answers to frequently asked questions, as well as approved rates for tuition, room and board, and student fees are available at the UD Billing and Collection Web site.

Gifts & Sponsored Agreements

There often exists a question over whether funds from a foundation or other (non-federal) organization are to be treated as gifts or sponsored awards. The two are very much intertwined. Awards may be received as either a gift or in the form of a sponsored agreement. In certain situations, a gift may be administered out of the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration, located in the UD Research Office, or jointly with the Development office; these determinations are made at the time of the solicitation/proposal.

Where can I locate research funding opportunities? How do I develop
a competitive proposal?
Where do I find the UD data I need to complete my budget?
You'll find the answers here, courtesy of the Research Office. A handy proposal checklist
also is provided for your convenience.

Remember, it takes time and effort to develop a successful proposal — in
fact, proposal success rates average 20–33%, depending on the field.
Funding agencies reject half the proposals they receive because the applicant
did not follow instructions or the proposal did not match the funding program.

However, the rewards for garnering research funding can be
great, enabling you to explore new frontiers, instruct your students in the
conduct of research, and yield new discoveries and knowledge of benefit to
society.

Proposal Guide F.A.Q. Click on the questions below to learn the answer.

A good starting point is our Funding
Opportunities Web page. It includes information on the Community of Science
database, which is accessible by UD employees, in addition to links to the
Web sites of key federal agencies that support research. Information on limited
submission opportunities, General University Research grants, and UD Research
Foundation grants also is available here.

(3) I've found a research opportunity that is right up my alley. What are the next steps?

First, familiarize yourself with UD's Responsible
Conduct of Research. Compliance
with UD's code of conduct, policies, and procedures is critical.
If human or animal subjects, for example, would be used in your research
project, you must abide by specific policies and complete specific forms
and reviews as part of the proposal application. You'll find links to all
of UD's policies and procedures and required forms here.

From a practical standpoint, you need to make sure you have enough
time to develop your proposal and meet the agency's funding deadline.
Competitive applications often reflect the input of multiple colleagues,
and large, multidisciplinary and multi-institutional projects require
a great deal of advance planning even before writing the proposal
can begin. Keep in mind that the Research Office needs a minimum
of 72
hours— three
business days prior to the agency deadline — to
process your proposal, or it will not be submitted to the sponsor.
More background on the policy is available here.

From a fiscal standpoint, you need to know if "cost-sharing" is
required by the funding agency. "Cost-sharing" refers to the University's
commitment of funds, equipment, or services toward the project, beyond the
funding that would be provided by the agency. Typical examples include equipment,
personnel effort, and tuition. If cost-sharing is required, you need
to find out if your dean would approve this cost before proceeding.

With the appropriate adminstrative approval,
the next thing to do is to notify your departmental research administrator
of your proposal plans. This individual works in partnership with
a contract-and-grant representative in the Research Office. You can
locate your department's research administrator on our Staff
Directory Web page. This individual can help you learn the
ropes by assisting you in the completion of required forms and
in answering questions about cost rates and other details related
to the development of your budget. If your proposal is for a federal
grant and will need to be submitted via Grants.gov,
this individual can help answer your registration questions.

(4) How do I develop a competitive proposal?

You need to have good, innovative
ideas, an understanding of the funding agency's mission and goals, and pay
careful attention to the theme and requirements specified in the funding announcement.
A good proposal should be compelling, understandable, well-organized, grammatically
correct, and exhibit correct spelling, and it must meet the due date, formatting,
and length requirements specified in the agency's guidelines.

If you've carefully read the agency's funding announcement and have specific
questions about a proposal idea, consult the program officer at the funding
agency for advice or clarification.

Most proposals contain common elements, such as the following:

A project summary that should clearly articulate the significance and innovation
of the research and its expected outcomes;

A project description that details the goals of the project and how you
will accomplish them, often including how you will evaluate the project and
disseminate the research to various public audiences to meet "broader
impacts" requirements;

References cited;

A budget that is in line with the award range of the
funding program along with a detailed budget justification that has been
developed in compliance with UD's current rates (see the "Proposal Tools
and Data" sidebar on this Web page);

Biographical sketches of the project team; and

Letters of commitment/support from appropriate administrators and partnering
institutions. Please note: To request a letter of support from the UD Vice
Provost for Research Office, the Provost, or President,
please follow this procedure:

• Draft the letter of support

• E-mail the letter to your contract-and-grant administrator in Research Office.
To locate the correct staff member, see the Department Administrator
directory in the Staff
Directory.

• If changes to the letter are required, you will be notified.

• Research Office
will shepherd the letter and proposal to the appropriate UD administrator
for signature and provide a copy to you for your files.

If your proposal requires an evaluation component, an excellent
resource to consult on campus is the UD
Education Research and Development Center. If your proposal requires "Broader
Impacts" in informal public education and outreach, contact
the Research
Communications Initiative in the UD Office of Communications
and Marketing for advice. The office participates in selected proposals
and also is aware of other units on campus who are involved in
public education and outreach that may be available to assist you.

As you draft your proposal, make sure to cross-reference your content with
key themes and requirements indicated in the funding announcement. Ask colleagues
with experience writing winning proposals to read your draft and provide constructive
criticism. You might also ask to serve on an upcoming proposal review
panel for a particular agency to gain further insight into how proposals are
evaluated.

Developing competitive research proposals is hard work, but the rewards can
be great in terms of future discoveries. It's important not to discouraged
if your proposal is not funded, but to learn from the experience and move on,
for another opportunity likely lies just around the corner....

You should then work closely with your departmental research administrator
in establishing your research project account, or "Purpose," in
UD PeopleSoft. You'll find all
the guidelines for setting up the award, maintaining it, and closing it out
in our online Grants
Management Guide.

Remember, research is an important part of our mission here at the University
of Delaware, and you have serious
responsibilities as a UD research investigator. We want to make
sure you are familiar with our requirements and help facilitate your
research success. If you have any questions, contact us at udresearch@udel.edu. Good
luck with your research!

(6) What is the difference between Post Doctoral Fellow and Post Doctoral Researcher?

Post Doctoral Fellow Guidelines

The title of "Post Doctoral Fellow" is designed for people who are at the University doing research primarily as independent learners, not on assigned projects as employees; the “Post Doctoral Fellow” designation is akin to an advanced graduate student, and the IRS specifically views post doctoral fellows as non-employees.

While there are Post Doctoral Fellows at the University who fit this description, there are also some who currently have this designation but are not eligible under existing UD policy, IRS regulations, or visa status. These people must be handled differently.

Therefore, there exists the job title of "Post Doctoral Researcher" for researchers who are here primarily to work on assigned projects as employees for a limited period of time after having obtained their doctorates.

The characteristics of Post Doctoral Researchers are:
• Professional position
• Fiscal appointments
• Requires doctorate
• Minimum full-time annual rate of $33,097 (effective 7/1/10)
• Benefits will be charged in the same way as other professionals (this is a significant difference from post doctoral fellows)
• Annual appointments, renewable up to 2 times for a total of three years; exceptions may be approved by the appropriate Dean
• HR code information:
• Job code: 299990
• Salary plan: 272 (full-time) or 273 (part-time)
• Salary grade: 90

The position of Post Doctoral Researcher should be used when appropriate
instead of Post Doctoral Fellow. The question of when this is appropriate
is an academic judgment to be made primarily by the Dean in the context
of the individual’s actual activities and Visa status. Post Doctoral
Fellows’ primary responsibilities are comparable to those of
graduate students: expanding their own knowledge, and often working
with and guiding graduate and undergraduate students. The responsibilities
of Post Doctoral Researchers are comparable to those of employees,
where payment is dependent upon fulfilling an assigned work plan.

The following guidelines should be considered by Deans making the judgments.

2. For U.S. citizens and for others when Visa status is compliant, such as permanent residents and those who hold F-1 and J-1 Visa status, initial appointments may be made for one year as a Post Doctoral Fellow, as long as the Dean approves that this is consistent with the expectations of the appointment. The letter of appointment should stipulate the responsibilities in a manner that is congruent with such an appointment and should be signed, or otherwise approved, by the Dean.

3. Beyond the initial year, Deans will determine on an empirical basis whether the appointment should be as Post Doctoral Fellow or Post Doctoral Researcher based on the actual activities of the individual. When Visa status is compliant, two years is expected to be the maximum length of time for someone to hold Post Doctoral Fellow status, unless there is continuing external funding specifically for a Post Doctoral Fellow for a longer period.

4. When Visa status is compliant, current Post Doctoral Fellows should be reviewed by the Dean and a judgment should be made as to whether they are appropriately classified as Fellows, or whether they should be Post Doctoral Researchers or some other classification. The timing of that review may coincide with the end of the Post Doctoral Fellow’s current funding. That is, they may continue in this classification until the end date of their current funding source, at which point the Dean should review their classification in the context of the
individual’s actual activities.

(7) How do I gain secured access to the Grants system for proposal submission and inquiry?

(8) I have a Post-Doc listed in my NSF proposal budget. What should I include in my Mentoring Statement?

The attached "Sample" Mentoring Statement is not meant to be used as a UD standard but is meant to be used as guidance to assist faculty in meeting the NSF proposal requirement.

(9) I am preparing a NIH application that involves human subjects and I see there is an entire section of the Research Plan that is devoted to Human Subjects. What should be addressed in this section?

In this section, you’re required to address three areas: inclusion of human subjects, inclusion of women and minorities, and inclusion of children. Please see the attached document for details on this section of the Research Plan.